THE Bulilima Rural District Council has given its debtors up to Sunday to pay up or risk facing legal action, as the local authority steps up efforts to recover about $1 million it is owed in unpaid rates and tariffs.
Report by Pamela Mhlanga Own Correspondent
The local authority’s chief executive officer John Ncube told NewsDay on Wednesday the ultimatum was meant for debtors with arrears of more than three months.
“The council is owed over $1 million by various ratepayers and if they do not co-operate with the local authority, we will not have money for service delivery,” he said.
On Wednesday, Bulilima Council — in Matabeleland South — published a public notice reminding debtors to pay up or face legal action.
The notice cited debtors as commercial farmers in general, A2 farmers, those resettled under the A1 model, plot holders and those who had not paid for various licences, leases, mobile phone station levies and lease rentals.
Ncube said some of the debtors were politicians, but this would not deter council from taking legal action against them to recover the money.
The notice also applied to those debtors with outdated payment plans.
